Video game makers plunge deeper into virtual reality at E3

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Virtual reality has yet to take off with the bulk of video gamers, but the industry is doubling down on its bet that one day it will.

At the annual E3 video game showcase in Los Angeles this week, attendees strapped on VR headsets to peer into fantasy worlds, battle robotic creatures and command starships. Meanwhile, game publishers announced investments that showed they believe VR is ready to go mainstream. "This is clearly the coming-out party for VR," said P.J. McNealy, chief executive officer and founder of Digital World Research. "The interest is there, the hardware is coming to market, and the content developers are figuring out how to take advantage of it."

E3, or the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is an annual spectacle devoted to serious gaming. Sales of games played on consoles or PCs still lead the $99.6 billion global gaming industry, according to data from research firm Newzoo. But an explosion in mobile games, plus a shift toward virtual reality hardware and software, could change that.

Sony Corp <6758.T> unveiled a $399 PlayStation VR headset at E3 that will hit stores in October. Fifty games will be available by year's end, including VR versions of blockbuster franchises "Resident Evil" and "Batman."

A man plays a video game with the Oculus Rift VR headset at the E3 Electronic Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

A man plays a frisbee throwing video game with the Oculus Rift VR headset at the E3 Electronic Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

A man plays a video game with the Oculus Rift VR headset at the E3 Electronic Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

A man walks past two video game characters checking their cell phones at the E3 Electronic Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

A look at recent and archive images of virtual reality gaming. Once a distant concept, virtual reality gaming became the new battleground at this year's E3 industry convention, with developers seeking to win over fans with their immersive headsets and accessories.

A woman uses a virtual reality headset to play a guided meditation video game at the E3 Electronic Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

A woman plays Square Enix's "Life is Strange" video game at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, in Los Angeles, California, United States, June 17, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

A man wears an Oculus Samsung Gear VR with the Galaxy Note 4 virtual reality headset at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, in Los Angeles, California, United States, June 17, 2015. Virtual reality gaming, once a distant concept, became the new battleground at this year's E3 industry convention, with developers seeking to win over fans with their immersive headsets and accessories. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

People line up at the Oculus booth at the E3 Electronic Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Japanese video game designer, Hideo Kojima of Kojima Productions Co., Ltd. is introduced by the Sony Corporation during their PlayStation 4 E3 2016 event in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 13, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Some games will be exclusive to PlayStation VR, including "Star Wars: Battlefront X-Wing VR Mission." Star Trek fans can command a Starfleet vessel "Star Trek: Bridge Crew," which will be playable on PlayStation VR, Facebook's <FB.O> Oculus Rift headset, and the HTC <2498.TW> Vive VR device.

Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O> let potential buyers know that it will have a new version of its Xbox, dubbed Project Scorpio, that will support VR in time for the 2017 holiday season. The company is also is developing its HoloLens augmented reality glasses, which overlay images as holograms onto a user's real-life field of vision.

Many in the industry are still skeptical about VR's potential. They question how many gamers will shell out hundreds of dollars for a headset after investing in a gaming console.

"We're going to find out what's good and bad about virtual reality in the months and years to come," said Steve Boxer, a gaming journalist from Britain who tried out games at E3.

"Personally I don't want to have to sit there wearing a virtual reality helmet for more than 20 minutes."

Sony is working with developers to adapt console games to a VR environment, said John Koller, a vice president for Sony Interactive Entertainment America.

"VR is going to be shorter, very intense bursts," Koller said. "We see it chopped up into these experiences that are very exciting and emotionally driven."

The industry isn't abandoning traditional games.

While companies are trying to build a new market in VR, "even more time and more money is being spent to maintain the cash cow of the business with new titles," said Mark Goodman, an analyst with Strategy Analytics.

Among the games generating buzz at E3 were Horizon Zero Dawn, a role-playing game featuring a female hunter, and a new installment in the God of War franchise, analysts said.